When Daniel Suarez took up karting at 10, little did he know he was going to create history. What followed was a decade of racing in regional series. But when Joe Gibbs Racing came knocking in 2014, Suarez took the chance and left for the States. It wasn’t long before he became the first Mexican champion in 2016. With just two laps left to go in the race, Daniel Suarez took the race lead at Homestead, turning into the first foreign driver to win a NASCAR national championship. Just a decade later, he’s part of history again, as the Cup Series leaves America for the first time to race on foreign soil.

Daniel Suárez, NASCAR’s trailblazing Mexican star, faces a whirlwind as he races at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Viva Mexico 250 on June 14-15, 2025. Speaking to the New York Times, he laid bare the stakes: “It’s a tricky balance. I’ve been hoping for this moment to come for years, since I won the championship in Xfinity almost 10 years ago (in 2016). And now we are here. It’s not just a very special moment for myself, but also for the sport, for the industry. Obviously, I’m very proud of being part of this race, of this event. I’m very proud of bringing you guys in the media, the teams and the drivers to my home to teach you a little bit about myself and about my culture. So I’m extremely proud, and I’ve been working very hard to make sure this event is going to be extremely successful.”

His 2016 Xfinity Series title win at Homestead-Miami’s Ford EcoBoost 300 set the stage for this moment. Starting from pole in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Suárez dominated, leading 133 of 200 laps. On the final restart with two laps left, he capitalized on fresh tires, blasting past Elliott Sadler and Cole Whitt—who were on older rubber—into Turn 1. Suárez pulled away to win by 0.988 seconds over Ty Dillon, clinching his third victory of 2016 after Michigan and Dover. With 4,040 points, he edged Sadler by two to become the first Latin American and Drive for Diversity graduate to win a NASCAR national series title.

“It doesn’t feel real. I can’t believe this is happening and I am so happy. I’m just so proud of this team and everyone who has helped me get to this point. I just can’t believe this,” he said after the win. The guy who learned English from television had won on the big stage, and he has the chance to do it again.

Suárez’s pride in showcasing Mexico is matched by his laser focus on winning. He told the Times, “With that being said, once we get to Friday, it’s time to be selfish because I want to be the best version of myself, and I know we can win the race. But for that, I have to execute everything right, and I have to be on my game. So I’m going to be traveling to Mexico City very early, way earlier than normal (he flew Tuesday), so I can acclimate with the altitude, I can start training a little bit and then do a lot of media activities I have to do. And once Friday starts, I have to slow down because I have to focus on racing.”

His preparation for Mexico City’s 2.42-mile, 15-turn road course at 7,342 feet elevation is meticulous. Suárez, who won 10 races in the NASCAR Mexico Series, including at this venue on a different layout, arrived early to train and adjust to the altitude. His road-course prowess—evident in his 2022 Sonoma Cup win—makes him a favorite, but the pressure’s intense.

Speaking about the race, he said, “The Mexico race is something that I’ve been hoping and waiting on for many, many years, and I’m not going to let anything else from outside take that week and that moment from myself. We have to just continue to put one foot in front of the other and continue to move forward. I think that in Trackhouse, we have found some decent speed in the last few weeks, so that’s promising, and hopefully we can continue to move in that direction.” 

Suárez’s balancing act—promoting NASCAR’s global push while chasing victory—mirrors his 2016 Homestead heroics. If he nails the execution, Mexico could be his next historic moment.

Katherine Legge’s bold return

While Daniel Suárez carries Mexico’s hopes, Katherine Legge brings her own story to the Viva Mexico 250, marking her second Cup Series start with Live Fast Motorsports. The 44-year-old Brit, who debuted with the team in 2024, knows Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez well, having won Round 2 of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY there in 2019—the first woman to win a race during a Formula E weekend. That victory gives her a slight edge on a track most Cup drivers are tackling blind.

Off the track, Legge’s outspoken against the FIA’s proposed all-girls karting series, arguing it stunts growth by segregating young female racers. “If you’re not racing against the best, you’re not gonna be the best of the best, It’s gonna be a girls’ series, and there’s absolutely no f—— reason why there should be a girls’ series when we’re perfectly capable of racing against the guys,” she said. Her stance, fiery and principled, resonates with fans who see her as a pioneer pushing for equality.

Legge’s underdog story complements Suárez’s hometown spotlight. While he battles pressure as Mexico’s hero, she’s fighting to prove she belongs in NASCAR’s elite. Both face a stacked field, but Mexico City’s passionate crowd, hungry for history, will cheer every lap, whether it’s Suárez’s sweep or Legge’s upset.